BEGGARS

        Used to be in Russia, and such an occupation! The immensity of the diversity of way of life and tolerance of people accepted its existence. People were lenient to such a rare moral deviation as a professional begging; moreover, in its pure form, it occurred very rarely. Do not give alms to a Russian was the world's greatest sin. Such ditties as 

 "Let's play only our accordion, and someone else accordions we'll tear apart.

We don't go around  begging, and to others, alms don't give." 

can be understood only in thousands of other, more benign limericks.
    No, Russian people didn't have respect for such dudes who had not treated beggars charitably! He could sing a similar limerick in drunken fury, farce, and ostentation, but he couldn't not give alms. A proverb such as "Do not swear off the beggar's bag and the prison cell" was known among the people more than the limerick mentioned above.
   Beggars on the sly intent, in other words, lazy people who did not want to work, were very few, and they were easily dissolved in a typical large mass. This type of parasite among the folk, shamelessly enjoying worldly kindness, too, was admitted an element of national life.
 Justice, however, triumphed, and in this case, the pretend beggar lived under a constant threat of exposure, which forced him to move to places far from his home. Of course, he had to act and fake, but all this does not always work for a healthy person.
    From the people's eyes, nothing escaped. But, toward such undercover, according to the popular expression "cunning" men, popular opinion is merciless: he will be exposed and necessarily punished with a derogatory nickname. He will wear it like velvet until the end of his days.
 There were not many takers in the world to pass for a parasite! However, a strange and not devoid of entertainment notoriety had a glorious parish northwest of Vologda. (I will not name it out of respect to the current residents.).
 The power of a harmful tradition has made this parish, not a laughing stock but something frivolous. Whether the land was fertile or the peasants were not tough, their harvest lasted only to Shrove Tuesday. So a man harnesses the horse to a sleigh, puts in it two large boxes, puts plenty of hay, and, taking with him one or two assistants, goes into the world to collect alms. Sometimes, they travelled almost like the wagon train, trying to get onto different roads and quickly dissipating.
   Great is the world! Great and forgiving, it will forgive and this. It will forgive, yes, but at the same time, it will grin. And only a very carefree peasant with strong hands will go begging with a light heart…
   All other forms of begging, down to the gypsy, do not cause blasphemy or ridicule in people. In exceptional cases, to beg was not considered shameful. For example, after the fire, people also wandered through the land, giving alms, not only bread but also clothing, utensils and crockery. The community helped get back victims of the disasters. To help prisoners and convicts is also considered a moral obligation. The soldiers, who served for twenty years and were decommissioned, returned home on foot, walked for several months and, of course, lived in the name of Christ.
    Or when somebody was mugged on the road, a drunken hauler lost money in a strange land, or a pilgrim returns from a distant journey - all are fed by the community. In ancient times, not sheltering a traveller or beggar and not providing for the passerby was considered a sin. Even the most miserly owners, under the pressure of public morality, have been forced to observe the custom of hospitality.
    Sometimes, a not particularly stingy hostess has made for a holiday a separate trough for the alms, treating guests and relatives with one and beggars with another. Such caution is not subjected to ridicule, as there were sometimes many beggars. Villages, where people were not allowed to stay overnight, had a bad reputation, often affecting marriage.
    Cripples and the disabled are especially revered by the people. Blind without a guide were led from village to village and arranged with their friends or relatives for the night. To stay, one could only stay overnight. If a beggar slept the second night, he is already looking for manageable tasks (even tales to tell or sing the epic). Do not give a ride to a lame, legless, humpbacked, or blind could only most cruel atheists who are not afraid of sin and flaunt such a "daring."
   Almost every village had its fool or blessed - these were fed and clothed by the community. But the people felt special sorry for orphans. To sin against and offend an orphan could make each one individual, but to comfort and encourage an orphan's heart was possible only by the whole world. 

A special place in the northern folklife took gypsy begging. Gypsies were loved in the North. Why?
    Perhaps because of national identity, strange talking, and their beautiful songs. Gypsy were loved for their recklessness and carelessness, which the Russian peasant, who was entirely dependent on nature and their labour, could not afford... Male Romas have never asked for alms unless the hay or oats for the horses. The incomparable art of collecting tribute was inherent for many Roma women. Another simple-hearted woman, in the absence of an old man or husband, another simple-hearted woman charmed by the rapid speech and gloss enormous black eyes, instead of a piece of bread, gave a cake, poured tea from a tea caddy, and then went in motion and sour cream and sugar. She would come to the senses only when a gypsy's trace is cold...
    Most beggars tried to get rid of poverty, and they sometimes succeeded. Thus, the orphan boy barely learned to run and talk, often taken as a shepherd's apprentice and a girl of five or six years as a nanny. And they lived in the village no longer beggars, reserving the right to leave anytime. The old men and cripples were often hired as shepherds, babysitters, watchmen, etc.
   In ancient times, many believed God's punishment was not poverty but wealth. Happiness is associated with moral purity and spiritual harmony, which, in their view, is not conducive to pursuing wealth. You should be proud not of wealth but of intelligence and acumen. Those proud of wealth, especially not earned but inherited, peasants disliked.     The parable of the birds of heaven, which "neither sow nor reaps and are well fed," explains the "strange" behaviour of many Russian men, renouncing property and turning into wanderers and pilgrims. Like anyone else, the peasant is akin to a feeling of complete unity with the surrounding world, the feeling known to wanderers.
   Nobody, perhaps, expressed this feeling better than A.K. Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky. Romance "I bless you, forests" - this masterpiece of aristocratic culture - with remarkable precision reflects the state typical for Russia of simple beggar-pilgrim, understand and feel " And in the field every blade of grass, and every star in the sky.»